1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to pull-out cabinet slides, pantries and drawers that have face plates or fronts attached to match or otherwise complement the visual appearance of an adjacent cabinetry. The present invention particularly relates to a mounting system that facilitates the alignment of a face plate or drawer front.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, when a drawer is installed into a cabinet, the face panel of the drawer may or may not be aligned with the adjacent cabinet in any or all of three dimensions. For both aesthetic and functional reasons, it is desirable that the face of the drawer be in alignment with the faces of any other drawers or cabinet doors that are also installed into the cabinet or adjacent cabinets. The drawer face panel is typically mounted onto the drawer itself, which is mounted onto a drawer slide, or it may be mounted directly to the drawer slide. In either case, the drawer slide is mounted into the cabinet.
One concern for alignment is the tilt of the drawer face panel in the roll direction with respect to adjacent drawer face panels. Tilt in the roll direction of a drawer face panel can result when the bottom of the face panel of a closed drawer may be in contact with the enclosure, but the top is not, yielding a gap between the top of the face and the cabinet. This not only promotes the likelihood of dust and debris entering the drawer through the gap, but also yields a displeasing appearance especially when the adjacent drawer face panels have differing degrees of tilt. Similarly, another concern for alignment is where the drawer face is skewed, i.e., where the left side of the drawer face panel touches against the enclosure when the drawer is closed, but the right side does not so touch. Again, a displeasing appearance is likely when the adjacent drawer face panels have differing degrees of skewing, and the likelihood of dust and debris entering the drawer through the gap is promoted. Other concerns for alignment which can lead to displeasing appearances are when the drawer face panel is not aligned properly in the height, lateral, or pitch directions with respect to adjacent drawer face panels.
In order to yield favorable alignment of the drawer face panel in the past, manufacturers have generally relied on tight tolerancing of the cabinet, the drawer, the drawer slide, and all the associated attachment hardware. These schemes, however, tend to be expensive due to the number of components involved and the tightness of the tolerances required to yield that favorable alignment. Furthermore, these schemes are not required for all cabinet industries. For example, in the low cost cabinet industry, tolerances are not expected to be held sufficiently tight, yet poor drawer face alignment is in fact more common. Presently, various schemes for adjustment of the drawer face position are available. These schemes provide an assortment of components or features, which allow for adjustment of the front panel without requiring expensively tight tolerances. However, most of these schemes are accomplished using the time consuming trial and error method, i.e., an adjustment is made, followed by closing the drawer and checking its position, followed by another adjustment, with this process being repeated until a suitable adjustment has been obtained. Thus, there remains a need for adjustment and alignment of the drawer face panel with an adjacent drawer face panel that can be performed easily, less expensively, and in less time. There also remains a need to adjust easily the drawer face panel in an inward and an outward direction, or a rearward and frontward direction, to compensate for differing degrees of tilt and skew of the drawer face panel with adjacent drawer face panels.